Wings of Destiny, page 19
“Alright, creep. Who the hell are you and why the fuck are you following me?”
“Miss Snow, is that anyway to say good morning?” Josh.
Son of a fucking bitch.
“Considering I don’t have your number and you’re apparently stalking me, I’d say I can speak to you how I very well please, Josh.” Venom laced my words, making my point clear.
Fuck dude. I know I clumsily felt you up last night but it was an accident.
That’d be obvious even to me.
“My apologies, Miss Snow. I should’ve prefaced my message with informing you that it was me reaching out.”
“You can shove your ‘apologies’ right up your ass. You didn’t answer my question as to why you’re following me.”
A slick black car pulled up next to me, the tinted windows slid down. Josh bent forward in the driver’s seat and flashed a tight smile. “Why don’t you get in? I have a few errands I need to run.”
“Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to get into a car with strangers?” I huffed, staring him down.
“For starters, Miss Snow, we are not strangers. Secondly, I arrived in this life far before motor vehicles came into existence.”
“You sound ancient when you speak, you realize that? No one calls cars ‘motor vehicles’ anymore.”
“Call it a habit, then,” he reached over the middle console and pushed the door open. “Given the weather calls for rain, humor me, Miss Snow. I won’t bite.” I looked up, planning on calling bullshit. Unfortunately, the sky had indeed darkened since I’d ran out there.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, whatever,” I stepped into the front seat and made a show of slamming the door closed. “Only because I don’t want to run back to Seth’s place completely drenched.”
Asshole.
“Of course, Miss Snow.” Josh put the car in gear and drove off. Out of the corner of my eye I scanned the dashboard and interior of his car—black suede. The dashboard was some type of cherry-red leather and the windows were borderline dangerously tinted.
“Okay, seriously what do you do outside of this superhero stuff?” I snapped.
Josh let out a low chuckle, the sound sent a jolt down my spine. “I’m a businessman. And a good one at that.”
Explains the car…man I really did not get a good look at this thing when he dropped me off last night.
Even I know a luxury car when I see one.
“How do you have time for it? I don’t even know how I’m supposed to balance the Nephilim stuff and school. Let alone my job.” A headache pressed at the front of my skull.
The husked tone of his voice slivered across my skin, goosebumps left in its wake. “Years of practice, Miss Snow,” Josh flipped his turn signal on and turned left down one of the main intersections in town. “You work at the library, correct?”
I stiffened, venom spat from me. “Yes. How did you know that?” I tracked his every move as he drove.
Did Seth tell him?
“Miss Snow, as I mentioned, I am a businessman. With my position, I keep tabs on each individual that myself or any colleagues associate with. And given that we are now colleagues, in addition to the familial relationship you had with Seth, I began keeping tabs on you the moment you two reunited a few years back.”
A punch in the gut, my lips pressed together.
Familial Relationship.
Ouch.
Not wrong.
But ouch.
“Got it, so you’re Captain Creepy?” I jabbed, slightly unnerved by his admission.
What else does he know about me?
As if reading my mind Josh responded, “No need to worry, Miss Snow. Unless a criminal record is found, I do not delve into my colleagues’ pasts. That is none of my concern.”
I looked him over. His button-up a solid black with the sleeves rolled neatly to the elbow; a suit jacket hung on the headrest of his seat. His suit pants matched, held together by a slim black-leather belt. The tendons in his forearms were relaxed but defined. Not a hair out of place.
He’s so… immaculate.
I… I don’t know if I trust that.
We drove in silence as Josh weaved through the road map of streets as we neared campus, then to the outskirts, leaving the city.
“Where are we going?” I finally asked.
This is like the start of a slasher film.
“As I mentioned, I have a business matter to attend to. Thought it would be beneficial for you to accompany me.”
“You said errands. Not business,” I clipped.
“Miss Snow, any errand of mine falls under that category.”
“That sounds awfully boring and mundane,” I said, watching as the trees flew by. I stole a quick glance at the dash, eyeing the speedometer as it slowly crept into the triple digits. “You, uh, want to slow down?” Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed speeding as much as the next person but given the fact that we barely knew each other—well I barely knew him, at least—it made me uneasy. Butterflies jostled around in my stomach, threatening to crawl their way up my throat.
Josh let his foot off the gas, bringing the speed to a saner pace. Barely. “When you’re near immortal, the little nuances of human frailties, such as the fear of perishing in a motor vehicle, are of no concern or consequence.”
Well isn’t someone cocky.
“Okay, I get that to an extent, but I’m new to all of this so if you could maybe not drive like a maniac that would be absolutely fantastic. And you know, take into consideration that it might be drastically more difficult for you to get killed or injured, but the humans who share the road are very mortal and not indestructible.”
“Careful, Miss Snow. Wearing your heart on one’s sleeve is quite dangerous in the world. If you allow your enemy to see what you hold dear, that may be the very thing they use to break you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Captain Creepy. Just a damn ray of sunshine.”
“I prefer to consider myself realistic,” Josh retorted, the corner of his lip twitched
“I prefer to consider you annoying,” I mumbled.
“Two different perspectives. Although mine is the correct one.”
I rolled my head in his direction, shooting him a dirty look, and flipped him off.
“You may deem me annoying, Miss Snow, but you’ve entered into a whole new realm that you know very little about. Which is particularly why I sought you out this morning.”
So, you were following me then. Creep.
I ignored him as he pulled into a vast parking garage attached to one of the largest buildings along the cityscape. We’d been in his car for well over an hour and the closest city to my little college town was Charshire. I pulled up the GPS on my phone to verify if that’s where we were, lo and behold the little blue dot in the center of my screen pinpointed us in the heart of downtown. With no way to hightail it back to Seth’s on my own, I was stuck following Prissy Pants around until he either got bored of me or finished his ‘errands.’
Josh parked in the spot closest to the walkway that led into the building. I peered at the sign through the windshield, Reserved barely visible. I leaned forward in an attempt to make out the text below.
The passenger door swung open, and I jumped. I grumbled a thanks, grabbing Josh’s hand as he helped me out of the car. He shut the door, considerably more graceful than when I’d slammed it earlier.
“Wouldn’t want you to break the door off of its hinges, Miss Snow, with your developing and untrained strength.”
“Wouldn’t want to hurt your ego,” I clipped. Twirling on my heel, I rolled my shoulders back, stuck my chest out, and lifted my chin, sashaying in the direction of the walkway. My messy bun thumping against the nap of my neck, loose hairs fanning out to the side of my head. I thanked the gods that the toe of my running shoes hadn’t caught on the curb leading up and sent me face planting right into the concrete.
Looks like someone might be on my side, for the moment.
Josh followed silently behind me. Until I remembered I had no clue where we were going. I forced myself to fall back so that I was in step with Josh.
The heel of his Oxfords clacked against the porcelain-tiled floor as we strode through the lobby and into the elevator encased in frosted glass on the side opposite from where we entered. The ride up remained silent as well, to the seventy-eighth floor. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
I followed Josh out. We were greeted by double-wide glass doors, windows on either side of them spanned the entirety of the floor. I kept my expression neutral as I took in the white floors, polished so intensely that I could see our reflections. The walls and ceiling matched, both beautiful and sterile. Through the glass doors stood a single large reception desk; the sides an equally blinding pearl with a slab of grey granite rested on top.
We passed by the empty reception area and down a hallway lined with abstract paintings of various shades of blues and reds, greens and yellows, morphed wing-like shapes.
I halted. A piece near the end of the hall caught my attention. The background had been painted a deep purple that faded into a charcoal on the outer edges of the canvas. Merlot splattered in the center outlining a body, wings spread from its back. Each feather meticulously painted. I peered closer. Within the body, was the shadow of a long sword slit through its center, a black pit puddling at its knees.
“Haunting, isn’t it?” Josh said, his breath tickling my ear, causing me to jump.
“That’s uh, one way to put it.” I shivered. A thought crossed my mind, curious if it were based on reality.
I wonder where it came from, who the artist is.
Josh led me to the end of the hall, framed by two mahogany doors spanning the entirety of the wall. It stood wildly out of place from the remaining parts of the office. He pulled a wrought iron key the size of his hand from his pants pocket, inserting it into the lock and twisting it.
How in the hell did he hide that thing in there?
It’s massive.
I quirked my eyebrow as the door creaked open. The room was covered in shadow. A single overhead light illuminated the center of the room, casting a spotlight. A lonely metal chair stood within it.
And in that chair, sat a Demon.
Chapter twenty-three
Seth
I held her face in my hands, beautiful eyes staring into mine. My heart thrummed in my chest. This was it. Her eyelids fluttered closed as I leaned in. Her lips met mine, softer than I could’ve ever imagined. So lush, tasting of honey. Her lips parted, allowing me access. My tongue darted inward, dancing with hers.
“I love you,” I rushed out, breathlessly.
Silence.
I pulled back, searching her depths to find they’d gone pitch black. Her mouth widened, forming a smile that sent chills down my spine.
A figure appeared behind her, circling its arm around her waist and pulling her in close. It formed into the shadow of a man. He bent forward, twisting a strand of her hair between his fingers, inhaling. Then kissed down her neck.
She sighed. “Oh, silly, silly boy. If only I loved you.”
A blade shot through my chest, piercing my heart. The last thing I heard was her laughter, ringing, as a tear trickled down my cheek.
“Why?” I choked, the metallic tang of blood flooded my mouth. My vision blurred until all that remained was her hate-filled pitted eyes.
High-pitched laughter echoed in the darkness. “You abandoned us, Seth Draven. And now, we’ll get our revenge on you.”
I groaned as the sunlight blinded me. I threw my arm over my eyelids, attempting to shield myself from the brightness.
“Why the fuck is it so bright?” I grunted out, rolling over right onto another blanket. Squinting one eye back open, Erin’s spot came into view. Empty.
I shot up and barreled to her room. She wasn’t there either. I slammed open the bathroom door. It was empty too. “Fuck!”
I ran to my bedroom, grabbing sweats and a shirt, tossing them on and ignoring the still disheveled state of the room. I’d been far too focused on making sure we were all guarding Erin after we escaped that bastard Erebus and his lackeys to even care about the appearance. Keeping my people safe was more important than cleaning the place up.
The harrowing voice from my dream dug into me.
“You abandoned us.”
As I went to reach for the door handle to the front door, Derik yelled behind me.
“Bro, where the hell are you rampaging off to?”
“Erin’s gone. I need to find her. They could’ve—”
Libby cut me off, “Calm down there, Seth. She’s fine. Erin left a note saying she was going for a run.”
My shoulder slumped forward in relief. Then stiffened again. “She went running alone?” Panic laced my voice, even I could hear it. Libby thought it was hilarious. “What? Why is that so funny, Lib? She could get hurt. That shit head could be waiting to strike again.”
What if Erebus takes her?
“Seth, sweetie, as much as I’m sure you want to follow her like a lost puppy, she’s okay. We both know Erebus wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack this quickly. And she probably needs to clear her head. Think about how much she’s been through this last week alone. If you’re worried, text her. Or you know, check her location on your phone. There’s this amazing thing called technology.” I shot her a glare. She flashed me an overly bright smile in return.
“Lib, you can be as much of a pain in my ass as Derik sometimes, you know that?” I grumbled as I dragged myself into the kitchen.
Erin could’ve woken me up.
Why didn’t she?
“True, but you adore me for it,” she laughed. “Anyway, Josh messaged you not too long ago saying he’d keep an eye on her today.”
“Of course he will,” I sighed. “I’ll shoot him a text back. Can you toss me my phone?” It’d been sitting on the counter, how it made it there last night, I had no idea. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep listening to Erin animatedly give me a deep dive of her latest read. Something about one of the why-choose romances she loved so much with vampires and werewolves. Her voice sang as I drifted off, a smile plastered on my face. It felt like things were normal again. The haunted look that had plagued her eyes when she had finally awoken yesterday morning had been—for however briefly—replaced with pure book-obsessed Erin.
How often am I going to be able to see that now?
That light? Will it disappear if Erebus gets his claws into her again?
Or is she…is she already disappearing?
I texted Josh.
Hey, thanks for keeping an eye on her.
I stared at my screen, awaiting a response. A few minutes passed, nothing came through. I checked Erin’s location out of curiosity. It had her pinned in Charshire. I let out a breath. They were at Josh’s building. As a businessman with one of the biggest wigs on this side of the country, Josh owned one of the largest buildings in Charshire. Far grander than any structure we had here in our town aside from the college campus.
Wonder what they’re doing there.
The only other person in our group who had ever been inside was Libby. She said she hated the drive so she’d only gone with him once and never told me or Derik what it was like beyond being massive.
My hands were too full to entertain the idea and to be entirely honest, I wasn’t too keen on voluntarily sticking myself with the Prick for an unnecessary amount of time alone. My temper would undoubtedly get the best of me and I worked too hard to keep myself in check to allow that to happen.
I checked my messages once more, then shoved my phone into my pocket.
“Looks like they’re in Charshire.” I sighed. Derik rustled around in the pantry, more than likely clearing out my food stash that Erin and I’d bought last week. “Hey, before your ass eats all my food, wanna toss me a bagel?” A bag of the ‘bread circles’ came barreling across the kitchen at me. I caught it right before they nailed me in the nose.
A little memory popped into my mind.
A few months prior, Erin had been over and crashed on the couch after a long day of classes and then work and I’d been figuring out what to make the next morning. She had said ‘bread circles’ because she forgot the actual name of the cinnamon bagels I kept on hand.
My mouth twitched, a half smile peaked out.
“Is she going to be okay?” Libby asked, shaking me from my thoughts. Libby had the cream cheese out of the fridge and slid it over.
I belted out a laugh. “If anything, you should be asking if Josh’s ass will be okay. The amount of sass in that woman is inspirational.”
Derik nodded in agreement as he emerged from the pantry, arms full of protein bars, coffee, and bread. “You got any jam in the fridge?” Derik asked, the words muffled around the toaster pastry he had dangling from his mouth.
I shook my head at him. “Top shelf, man. Leave some for the rest of us.”
The corners of Libby’s eyes lifted in amusement. “You’re going to need to make another trip to the store, asap. You guys only bought enough food to feed two people, not four.”
I rolled my eyes in response.
“Yeah well, I wasn’t exactly expecting you two to be mooching off me for the foreseeable future. You can buy your own shit, you know. Save me some cash.”
I might have money from mom when mom passed…and also Nicholas, but it's not endless.
Derik huffed. “Why can Snow mooch off you, but it’s a problem if we do it? We’re bros, Seth, come on man.”
Libby snickered. “Oh I know why.” I shot her a glare. She snapped her mouth closed, the edges of her mouth twitching.
Traitor.
Derik eyebrows arched, eyes traveling between Libby and I. “Spill it, Lib. I gots to know.” He begged. I stared her down, praying that she kept it to herself.
Don’t you do it, Lib.
A Cheshire grin spread across her face. “Nah, I think I’ll leave that for you to figure out, Pretty Boy.” Libby batted her lashes at Derik, feigning innocence.
